We support education systems to improve green education and skill building for youth and enhance nature restoration within the higher education sector.
The Green Jobs for Youth Pact is a bold partnership led by ILO, UNEP and UNICEF which aims to support the next generation with the green skills and competencies needed to meet the transition to a low carbon and nature positive world. The Pact works with and for youth, bringing together governments, businesses and educational institutions to accelerate the green transition for youth. Cuba, Kenya, Madagascar and Senegal are working with the Pact to strengthen policies and capacities for green jobs for youth. So far, 9 education and private sector commitments have been received to advance green skilling, including from Iberdrola and LinkedIn.
Nature Positive Universities is a growing network of 1900 people from over 700 higher education institutions across the world, working together to promote nature on campuses, in supply chains and within cities and communities. So far, 150+ universities have made nature positive pledges. The network was founded by UNEP and the University of Oxford in partnership with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
UNEP is part of the Greening Education Partnership, which was founded by UNESCO, alongside a range of other UN agencies and partners. The goal of the partnership is to prioritize greening education in countries around the world, across four key pillars:
- greening schools
- greening curriculum
- greening teacher training and education systems' capacities,
- greening communities.
So far, 97 member states & 1700+ organizations are part of this.
Little Book of Green Nudges
The Little Book of Green Nudges is a quick guide to reducing your campus' environmental impact through behavioural change in the form of a concise and user-friendly publication. It summarizes the evidence around what nudges work best while seeking to encourage more sustainable practices among students and staff across several behavioural categories. It also provides simple guidance on how to implement and evaluate behavioural interventions in a variety of contexts.
Sustainable University Framework
This framework seeks to define what it means to be a sustainable university and lays out a pathway to becoming one. The framework also outlines how sustainability can be advanced in each of the four core areas of a university, including: 1) environment & climate, 2) teaching & research, 3) people & society and 4) administration & governance. The framework presents a 4-step process to becoming a sustainable university and shares useful tips on quick wins and how to get started in this journey.
Sustainable Lifestyles Academy
The Academy offers educational tools to train youth, youth intermediaries, influencers, and UNEP personnel on transitioning to sustainable lifestyles. The academy aims to empower youth for sustainable lifestyles, and to promote green campuses youth opportunities for green jobs with universities.
“My sustainable lifestyles Challenge”- a six-week gamified program launched on World Environment Day to engage youth in sustainable lifestyle practices. Students from 140 universities across 88 countries (over 2,100 participants forming 307 teams) took part. This challenge empowered young people to adopt sustainable habits in daily domains like food, housing, and transport. It also strengthened partnerships with networks such as the UN System Staff College (UNSCC), ARIUSA, and the Sustainable Lifestyles University Network. Insights from the challenge were used to inform the Sustainable Lifestyles University Network’s 2024–2025 action plan for campus sustainability.
